Although real food diets have been gaining in popularity, exactly what a “real food diet” involves depends a bit on who you ask. That said — I’ll give you the simple definition that I use for my own diet.

Only a hundred years ago, the need to define a real food diet wouldn’t have made much sense to anyone. “Real food” was all there was. But now? Well…now it’s a bit more complicated.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t eat a real food diet anymore. The way we feed ourselves, at least in the U.S, has changed enormously in the last century. And — based on the general state of our health — it doesn’t seem that the change has been for the better.

Most of our food now comes to us highly packaged, processed, and engineered. The foods in the typical pantry are full of ingredients that we would never recognize as food on their own. The bulk of our produce – animal and vegetable — comes from sources that look much more like factories than farms.

Now, food produced by this more industrial system is inexpensive and everywhere. Sadly, though, most of it isn’t very good for us – and it doesn’t qualify as “real”. Moving to a real food diet simply involves replacing these foods with their real counterparts.

Here’s the more precise definition. A real food includes only foods that have been part of the human diet for many thousands of years; foods that have been raised and prepared in long-proven ways; and foods that are sustainably produced. Almost any type of food can be included – you just need to seek out the real version. Here are some guidelines…

Poultry, eggs, dairy, and meat are all part of a real foods diet; they just should be produced by grass-fed animals, not grain-fed. They should also be antibiotic-free and hormone-free, and organic whenever possible. Fish are OK, too, but should be wild-caught, not farmed.

Vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes should be minimally processed, and organic.

Fats and oils should be traditional choices like butter, coconut oil, and olive oil, and should also be lightly processed.

There is a bit more to it than that – but that’s enough to get you started. I’d recommend giving your diet a big push in this direction for a month or so, and seeing what you think. The benefits you can expect are a topic for another article – but my guess is that you’ll be pleased!

Want to find out more about real food diets? Visit Maria Campbell’s site on how to choose the best real food diet plan for your needs.